Gents from the FDP guidelines
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> FDP Guidelines (9th Jan 2014)
Extension of FDP
a. In-Flight Relief
An additional flight crew member can be carried to provide in-flight relief with the intent of extending the MAX Allowable FDP. The division of duty and rest must be kept balanced between the flight crew members.
The FDP shall only be extended if the total in-flight rest exceeds 3 hours for each flight crew member. The rest is not required to be consecutive.
b. Burnout Policy
The policy is applied when an additional flight crew member is added to a pairing for the purpose of extending the FDP as an augmenting flight crew member and the sector length will not allow a minimum of 3 hours of rest for each flight crew member.
Seems you can't extend unless all three get three hours??
The point (others are making) is that the third pilot is added in most cases to alleviate the 7.9.3 "limits on two crew long range ops" and not to extend the FDP.
I.e. the flight can't be done legally two crew because of above "2 crew long range ops" but is not long enough for the requirement to extend duty.
Eg You can go to and back from KIX three crew legally without the need to Extend duty. Three crew from KIX-DXB allowable FDP is 11:30 and planned FDP 11:10. As there is no need to extend the duty then no need to have three hours rest although in this case you would probably get over three hours each anyway. If you divert it would be covered by discretion.
So there is a suggestion that as duty is not required to be extended that the rest should be split equally and if its less than 3 hours each then so be it. The operating crew do not require 3 hours as extension is not legally required or planned.
Any flight where the duty is required to be extended I.e PER will be of sufficient flight time for all three crew members to get at least three hours and so you can legally extend the duty as required.
Thoughts?
M